DOCSLIB.ORG

The Orang Asli of Malaysia

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Orang Asli of Malaysia > Indigenous peoples’ movements The Orang Asli of Malaysia In the eyes of the government, developers and investors, the Orang Asli (Malaysia’s Theme > indigenous peoples) are in the wrong time and place. Seen as lacking a sense of time, place Malaysia or history, they are deemed backward peoples in need of assistance. In other words, they ples are losing control of the forests. In resettle Orang Asli away from their forest should be modernised. Their purported nomadism is unsettling to the government, which the contest for resources, they are often bases and to open the land for exploita- advocates their sedentarisation to resolve the ‘problem’ of their frequent mobility. on the losing side (Nicholas 2000). tion. A Semai village locat- During the ‘opening up’ of the country The Aboriginal Peoples Act (1974) per- ed along the Tapah- in the late nineteenth and early twenti- mits the Orang Asli to collect minor for- Cameron Highlands eth centuries, forests were treated as if est products but, under the Forestry Act Road they were weeds to be cleared, and trans- of 1935, the Forestry Department has formed into plantations and tin mines. regulatory rights. The Act requires After the Second World War, the Orang traders to obtain licences to purchase or Asli and their forest abodes became trade forest products and to pay levies strategically important in the fight and taxes on commodities. By such against communist insurgents, who means the Department can regulate mostly operated from jungle camps. The trading and control Orang Asli access to push for economic development accel- the forests. While Orang Asli are not per- erated the conversion of forests into mitted to collect forest products from plantations, mines and land develop- national parks, this restriction is not ments. The construction of roads and always enforced. As Colin Nicholas dams destroyed large tracts of forest (2000: 134), Director of the NGO Cen- and, with them, Orang Asli livelihoods. tre of Orang Asli Concerns has observed, Timber became an important export personnel of the Department of Wildlife bankrolling Malaysia’s development. and National Parks even act as middle- men in the trading of minor forest prod- Between logging and ucts gathered by Orang Asli from Taman preservation Negara National Park. Paradoxically, the growing middle class produced by Malaysia’s economic suc- It is more than the contest for resources cess began to clamour for the protection that concerns government officials. In an courtesy of author of courtesy of forests and the creation of forest parks attempt to ban tourists from visiting an for recreation. The Orang Asli became an Orang Asli community in Taman Negara, By Alberto G. Gomes minorities but these are quickly stifled it has been in the open. The policy not obstacle to two conflicting interests: com- a government minister in 1997 by the ruling party, the United Malays only facilitates Islamic conversion; it mercial logging and forest preservation. remarked, ‘Although it is natural for rang Asli land is coveted by pow- National Organisation (UMNO). When also prevents Orang Asli from convert- Their ‘shifting cultivation’ was deemed women of the tribe to live half naked in Oerful interests: for its timber and questioned by the media, Malaysia’s first ing to other religions, thus curtailing minerals, for conversion into oil palm Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman their religious freedoms. Islamic con- the government has pursued a policy of assimilation or rubber plantations, golf courses, replied, ‘there is no doubt that the Malays version would mean the Orang Asli hydroelectric power installations, the were the indigenous peoples of this land would no longer have the wrong status to turn Orang Asli into Malay Muslims and, in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and because the original inhabitants did not as indigenous peoples. However, for process, eradicate the category of aboriginal peoples in development projects to benefit the have any form of civilisation compared resource managers, particularly forestry Malay majority population. The reasons with the Malays…and instead lived like managers, many Orang Asli are still in Malaysia behind Orang Asli relocation or dis- primitives in mountains and thick jun- the wrong place. placement are often concealed from the gle’ (Nicholas 2000: 90). wasteful and damaging to forests and the village, their photographs may give a public eye. Instead, for the Orang Asli, Forest dwellers resources. This perception was not new; wrong impression that Malays here are displacement is called development. There is no doubt that Orang Asli ances- Evidence suggests that, in the first mil- in 1958, the Chief Forester blamed Orang dressed in that manner’ (Nicholas, 2000, Government policies aim to draw them tors settled on the ‘Malay’ Peninsula lenium AD, the Orang Asli were the pri- Asli shifting cultivation for the destruc- p.134). One may conclude that the Orang into ‘the mainstream of society’, into the long before the predecessors of con- mary suppliers of forest products such as tion of valuable forest resources and rec- Asli are not only in the wrong place and ‘right’ place and time. temporary Malays. However, prior set- rattan, bamboo, resins, ivory, and other ommended that ‘it would be foolhardy to time, they are, in their marginal position, tlement does not accord the descendants animal parts in the maritime trade that jeopardise the future of a nation by “pre- also a wrong people in Malaysia. < Labels political privileges. The musings of the linked Southeast Asia to markets in serving” a way of life for 50,000 people… The ethnic label Orang Asli, meaning former Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir China, India and the Middle East (Gomes when an opportunity, as a result of the References ‘natural people’ in Malay, replaced the Mohamad, are revealing: ‘Aborigines are 2004: 2). Due to the settlement and Emergency, exists today to start settling - Benjamin, Geoffrey, 1985. ‘In the Long term ‘aborigines’ used by the British found in Australia, Taiwan and encroachment of other peoples and inter- them permanently’. Such sentiments Term: Three Themes in Malayan Cultural colonial administration. Orang Asli Japan…but nowhere are they regarded ests onto their territories, Orang Asli peo- have spurred the government’s push to Ecology’ in Hutterer, Karl and Terry Rambo, refers to the indigenous peoples of as the definitive people of the country eds., Cultural Values and Tropical Ecology in Peninsular Malaysia who are not Malay concerned. The definitive people are Southeast Asia. Ann Arbor: University of Muslims, Malaysia’s main ethnic group. those who set up the first govern- Michigan. The Orang Asli, together with the Malays ments…. In Malaya, the Malays without - Dentan, Robert, Kirk Endicott, Alberto and indigenous peoples of Sabah and doubt formed the first effective govern- Gomes, and Barry Hooker, 1997. Malaysia Sarawak, form the category of ments…. The Orang Melayu or Malays and the Original People: A Case Study of the Malaysians known as bumiputera (‘sons have always been the definitive people Impact of Development on Indigenous Peoples. of the soil’) who make up 65.1 per cent of the Malay Peninsula.’ (Dentan et al Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon. of the population; the rest is of Chinese 1997: 21-22) While the argument may - Gomes, Alberto G., 2004. Looking for or Indian descent (http://www.statis- explain Malay rule, it does not resolve Money: Capitalism and Modernity in an tics.gov.my/English/pressdemo.htm). the problem of the existence of a group Orang Asli Village. Subang Jaya, Malaysia The Orang Asli comprise 0.5 per cent of of people who can be considered more and Melbourne: Center for Orang Asli Con- the population (Nicholas 2000:3) and indigenous than the Malays. cerns and Trans Pacific Press. are conventionally divided into eighteen - Nicholas, Colin, 2000. The Orang Asli and ethno-linguistic subgroups. Assimilation the Contest for Resources: Indigenous Poli- To solve this problem, the government tics, Development and Identity in Peninsular Both ethno-labels – bumiputera and has pursued a policy of assimilation to Malaysia. Copenhagen: International Work Orang Asli – imply indigeneity; Malays turn Orang Asli into Malay Muslims Group for Indigenous Affairs; Subang Jaya, are classified as bumiputera but not as and, in the process, eradicate the cate- Malaysia: Centre for Orang Asli Concerns. Orang Asli. In the eyes of non-Malay cit- gory of aboriginal peoples in Malaysia. izens, recognition of an aboriginal peo- In a recent policy statement, the gov- Alberto G. Gomes is Senior Lecturer at the ple weakens the Malay claim to indige- ernment announced its strategy ‘to School of Social Sciences at La Trobe Uni- nous status. Such views are not increase efforts at introducing a value versity, Australia and has conducted research expressed openly, however; Malaysian system based on Islam for the integra- on the Orang Asli since 1976. He has just law prohibits public discussion of the tion of the Orang Asli with the wider completed the manuscript Settling the For- issue of indigenous status, which is con- society in general and Malays in partic- est ‘Nomads’: Modernity and the Semang sidered seditious. Occasionally, opposi- ular’ (Nicholas 2000: 98). Such a poli- of Malaysia, forthcoming from Routledge- tion politicians raise questions about cy was tacitly adhered to in earlier days Orang Asli Groups Curzon. indigeneity and rights of indigenous of government intervention; since 1993 and Locations 1985 Benjamin Source: [email protected] 10 IIAS Newsletter | #35 | November 2004.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Linguistic Background to SE Asian Sea Nomadism
    The linguistic background to SE Asian sea nomadism Chapter in: Sea nomads of SE Asia past and present. Bérénice Bellina, Roger M. Blench & Jean-Christophe Galipaud eds. Singapore: NUS Press. Roger Blench McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research University of Cambridge Department of History, University of Jos Correspondence to: 8, Guest Road Cambridge CB1 2AL United Kingdom Voice/ Ans (00-44)-(0)1223-560687 Mobile worldwide (00-44)-(0)7847-495590 E-mail [email protected] http://www.rogerblench.info/RBOP.htm This printout: Cambridge, March 21, 2017 Roger Blench Linguistic context of SE Asian sea peoples Submission version TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 3 2. The broad picture 3 3. The Samalic [Bajau] languages 4 4. The Orang Laut languages 5 5. The Andaman Sea languages 6 6. The Vezo hypothesis 9 7. Should we include river nomads? 10 8. Boat-people along the coast of China 10 9. Historical interpretation 11 References 13 TABLES Table 1. Linguistic affiliation of sea nomad populations 3 Table 2. Sailfish in Moklen/Moken 7 Table 3. Big-eye scad in Moklen/Moken 8 Table 4. Lake → ocean in Moklen 8 Table 5. Gill-net in Moklen/Moken 8 Table 6. Hearth on boat in Moklen/Moken 8 Table 7. Fishtrap in Moklen/Moken 8 Table 8. ‘Bracelet’ in Moklen/Moken 8 Table 9. Vezo fish names and their corresponding Malayopolynesian etymologies 9 FIGURES Figure 1. The Samalic languages 5 Figure 2. Schematic model of trade mosaic in the trans-Isthmian region 12 PHOTOS Photo 1. Orang Laut settlement in Riau 5 Photo 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Btsisi', Blandas, and Malays
    BARBARA S. NOWAK Massey University SINGAN KN÷N MUNTIL Btsisi’, Blandas, and Malays Ethnicity and Identity in the Malay Peninsula Based on Btsisi’ Folklore and Ethnohistory Abstract This article examines Btsisi’ myths, stories, and ethnohistory in order to gain an under- standing of Btsisi’ perceptions of their place in Malaysia. Three major themes run through the Btsisi’ myths and stories presented in this paper. The first theme is that Austronesian-speaking peoples have historically harassed Btsisi’, stealing their land, enslaving their children, and killing their people. The second theme is that Btsisi’ are different from their Malay neighbors, who are Muslim; and, following from the above two themes is the third theme that Btsisi’ reject the Malay’s Islamic ideal of fulfilment in pilgrimage, and hence reject their assimilation into Malay culture and identity. In addition to these three themes there are two critical issues the myths and stories point out; that Btsisi’ and other Orang Asli were original inhabitants of the Peninsula, and Btsisi’ and Blandas share a common origin and history. Keywords: Btsisi’—ethnic identity—origin myths—slaving—Orang Asli—Peninsular Malaysia Asian Folklore Studies, Volume 63, 2004: 303–323 MA’ BTSISI’, a South Aslian speaking people, reside along the man- grove coasts of the Kelang and Kuala Langat Districts of Selangor, HWest Malaysia.1* Numbering approximately two thousand (RASHID 1995, 9), Btsisi’ are unique among Aslian peoples for their coastal location and for their geographic separation from other Austroasiatic Mon- Khmer speakers. Btsisi’, like other Aslian peoples have encountered histori- cally aggressive and sometimes deadly hostility from Austronesian-speaking peoples.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Orang Asli and Melayu Relations
    1 Orang Asli and Melayu Relations: A Cross-Border Perspective (paper presented to the Second International Symposium of Jurnal Antropologi Indonesia, Padang, July 18-21, 2001) By Leonard Y. Andaya In present-day Malaysia the dominant ethnicity is the Melayu (Malay), followed numerically by the Chinese and the Indians. A very small percentage comprises a group of separate ethnicities that have been clustered together by a Malaysian government statute of 1960 under the generalized name of Orang Asli (the Original People). Among the “Orang Asli” themselves, however, they apply names usually associated with their specific area or by the generalized name meaning “human being”. In the literature the Orang Asli are divided into three groups: The Semang or Negrito, the Senoi, and the Orang Asli Melayu.1 Among the “Orang Asli”, however, the major distinction is between themselves and the outside world, and they would very likely second the sentiments of the Orang Asli and Orang Laut (Sea People) in Johor who regard themselves as “leaves of the same tree”.2 Today the Semang live in the coastal foothills and inland river valleys of Perak, interior Pahang, and Ulu (upriver) Kelantan, and rarely occupy lands above 1000 meters in elevation. But in the early twentieth century, Schebesta commented that the areas regarded as Negrito country included lands from Chaiya and Ulu Patani (Singora and Patthalung) to Kedah and to mid-Perak and northern Pahang.3 Most now live on the fringes rather than in the deep jungle itself, and maintain links with Malay farmers and Chinese shopkeepers. In the past they appear to have also frequented the coasts.
    [Show full text]
  • Community Restructuring and Sociocultural Interaction Identity of Orang Laut (Kuala) in the State of Johor
    SHS Web of Conferences 45, 06002 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20184506002 ICLK 2017 Community restructuring and sociocultural interaction identity of orang laut (kuala) in the state of Johor Maryam Syafiqha Mohd. Sayuti1, Awang Azman Awang Pawi2, Jamilah Omar3 Department of Socio-Cultural, Academy of Malay Studies, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1, 2 Faculty of Art, Computing and Creative Industry, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia 3 Abstract : This study will look at how this process occurs among the Orang Laut (Kuala) in Johor. This study was carried out to analyse the restructuring of the community and the identification of indigeneous ethnic (Orang Laut) socialcultural interactions in Rengit, Minyak Beku and Kota Masai Johor. In particular, the study will involve aspects of the sociocultural life of the Orang Kuala Rengit, Minyak Beku and Kota Masai Johor, which include languages, economic activities, customs, and practices that are still practiced and things that have been modified in accordance with the factors around them. Analysing the process of adaptation is done closely by relating the process of interactions within groups, local communities, government agencies and the adaptation patterns that occurred. Besides that, the sustainability and the preservation of ethnic cultures of Orang Kuala in the social system as a whole and their impact on the development of the structure of community are examined. Qualitative method is used assisted by other study materials obtained such as field work, observation, ethnographic which are reinforced with library research such as documents and other materials related. This paper will cover the restructuring process by explaining the concepts, books and previous research reviewed by the researcher.
    [Show full text]
  • The Orang Asli Profile in Peninsular Malaysia: Background & Challenges
    International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences Vol. 8 , No. 7, July 2018, E-ISSN: 2222-6990 © 2018 HRMARS The Orang Asli Profile in Peninsular Malaysia: Background & Challenges Noraini Mohd Shah, Ridzwan Che' Rus, Ramlee Mustapha, Mohd Azlan Mohammad Hussain, Norwaliza Abdul Wahab To Link this Article: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v8-i7/4563 DOI: 10.6007/IJARBSS/v8-i7/4563 Received: 21 May 2018, Revised: 19 June 2018, Accepted: 29 June 2018 Published Online: 17 July 2018 In-Text Citation: (Shah, Rus, Mustapha, Hussain, & Wahab, 2018) To Cite this Article: Shah, N. M., Rus, R. C., Mustapha, R., Hussain, M. A. M., & Wahab, N. A. (2018). The Orang Asli Profile in Peninsular Malaysia: Background & Challenges. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(7), 1157–1164. Copyright: © 2018 The Author(s) Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com) This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode Vol. 8, No. 7, July 2018, Pg. 1157 - 1164 http://hrmars.com/index.php/pages/detail/IJARBSS JOURNAL HOMEPAGE Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://hrmars.com/index.php/pages/detail/publication-ethics 1157 International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences Vol.
    [Show full text]
  • This Thesis Has Been Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Postgraduate Degree (E.G
    This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. At the Edge of Mangrove Forest: The Suku Asli and the Quest for Indigeneity, Ethnicity and Development Takamasa Osawa PhD in Social Anthropology University of Edinburgh 2016 Declaration Page This is to certify that this thesis has been composed by me and is completely my work. No part of this thesis has been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. 30th January 2016 Takamasa Osawa PhD Candidate School of Social & Political Science University of Edinburgh ii Abstract This thesis explores the emergence of indigeneity among a group of post-foragers living on the eastern coast of Sumatra. In the past, despite the lack of definite ethnic boundaries and the fluidity of their identity, they were known as Utan (‘Forest’) or Orang Utan (‘Forest People’).
    [Show full text]
  • Creatinglivingspaceagain
    2016 HARVARD-YENCHING CREATING LIVING SPACE AGAINST SOCIAL EXCLUSION: THE EXPERIENCE OF INSTITUTE WORKING SAMA-BAJAU MIGRANTS IN PAPER SERIES DAVAO CITY, THE PHILIPPINES Aoyama Waka | The University of Tokyo Creating Living Space against Social Exclusion: The Experience of Sama-Bajau migrants in Davao City, the Philippines Waka AOYAMA (The University of Tokyo) Abstract In Davao City, the Philippines, ethno-linguistic and cultural diversity are officially treated as resources. However, the Sama-Bajau (a mixed group of Sinama speaking peoples, more commonly referred to as the “Bajau” in the local context) are largely perceived by non-Sama-Bajau populations as the least privileged people, and sometimes even mentioned as “uncivilized,” partly because of their image as beggars/divers as well as a popular discourse about their “having no religion.” With such paradoxical reality, I will attempt to bring together sets of data I gathered from 1997 to 1999 in order to achieve two objectives. The first objective is to find out what kind of living space(s) Sama-Bajau migrants have created in Davao City. The second objective is to explain variations in the living space(s) found among them, applying the concept of social exclusion in development studies. In this working paper, I will first describe the life of Sama-Bajau migrants in the research site. Second, I will attempt to find the reasons for adaptive variations among Sama-Bajau migrants, applying the analytical framework of social exclusion in development studies. Third, I will try to analyze the reasons for the characteristics of the space(s) created by the Sama-Bajau in Davao City at a deeper level, comparing the present case with two other cases, the Sama Dilaut and the Olang Alsi, in Malaysia.
    [Show full text]
  • Distribution and Demography of the Orang Asli in Malaysia
    International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print): 2319 – 7714 www.ijhssi.org ||Volume 6 Issue 1||January. 2017 || PP.40-45 Distribution and Demography of the Orang Asli in Malaysia Tuan Pah Rokiah SyedHussain1, Devamany S. Krishnasamy2, Asan Ali Golam Hassan3 1(School of Government,College of Law,Government and International Studies,Universiti Utara Malaysia) 2(School of Government,College of Law,Government and International Studies,Universiti Utara Malaysia) 3(Department, College/ University Name, Country NaInternational Business School, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia) ABSTRACT: This article discusses the Orang Asli demography found in various parts of Malaysia. The importance of this article relates to the knowledge context of Orang Asli as a minority who are still backward with regards to their unique distribution and demographic profile as compared to the Malay or other communities in the urban areas. They live in deep interior rural areas and are far away from modernization. As such, articles on this community become paramount to create awareness amongst people on their existence and challenges Keywords: Demography of Orang Asli, Distribution of Orang Asli, Minority Ethnic, Orang Asli I. INTRODUCTION The Orang Asli (OA) are called by various names, depending on the characteristics of the livelihood of the OA concerned. According to him (at that time), the aboriginal tribes have no proper native name on their own and therefore suitable designations have had to be found. According to him too, the other name for the OA that is recorded in the literature is Kensiu. At that time, the Malays referred to the OA by many names, like Orang Utan (jungle men), to differentiate them from the Malays who were called Village Dwellers [1].
    [Show full text]
  • Poverty, Inequality and the Lack of Basic Rights Experienced by The
    Poverty, Inequality and the Lack of Basic Rights Experienced by the Orang Asli in Malaysia Submission on Malaysia in advance of country visit of the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights OHCHR by Ooi Kiah Hui ([email protected]) Focal person for Orang Asli land rights Senior Director, Policy, Advocacy & Research, Malaysian CARE The Orang Asli population of 217,000 (Nicholas, 2019) in Peninsular Malaysia comprises 18 tribes, each a distinct people group with their unique culture, language and social norms. They are the poorest and most marginalised group in Malaysia, with over 50% categorised as poor and 33% living in hard-core poverty, compared to 0.7% hard-core poor of the national average (Economic Planning Unit, 2010, Department of Statistics, 2010). Many villages, even those located near small townships, without paved roads, no electricity, no direct clean water supply nor sanitation services. The situation of the Orang Asli in our midst today exemplifies the clearest links between poverty, inequality and the deficiency of human rights in Malaysia. Diminishing customary land and decreasing economic independence Although cash-poor, the Orang Asli were for generations an independent people group. They provided for themselves and their families sufficiently through forest resources and subsistence farming. However, the increasing encroachment of native customary land has led to severe violation of almost all sectors of their basic rights - rights to clean water, to food, to health, to shelter, to security and to life. The infringement of customary land rights is the most conspicuous sign of the extent of the marginalisation and inequality.
    [Show full text]
  • Malay Minorities in the Tenasserim Coast
    ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement Volume 4 Number 1 July Article 12 7-31-2020 Malay minorities in The Tenasserim coast Ma Tin Cho Mar Department of South East Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, [email protected] Pham Huong Trang International School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarhub.ui.ac.id/ajce Part of the Polynesian Studies Commons Recommended Citation Mar, Ma Tin Cho and Trang, Pham Huong (2020). Malay minorities in The Tenasserim coast. ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement, 4(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.7454/ajce.v4i1.1069 Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License. This Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Universitas Indonesia at ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement. It has been accepted for inclusion in ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement. Ma Tin Cho Mar, Pham Huong Trang | ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement | Volume 4, Number 1, 2020 Malay minorities in The Tenasserim coast Ma Tin Cho Mara*, Pham Huong Trangb aDepartment of South East Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia bInternational School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam Received: December 29th, 2019 || Revised: January 30th, 2020 || Accepted: July 29th, 2020 Abstract This paper discusses the Malay Minorities of the Malay Minorities in the Tenasserim Coast. And Tanintharyi Division is an administrative region of Myanmar at present. When we look closely at some of the interesting historical facts, we see that this region is “Tanao Si” in Thai, or Tanah Sari in Malay.
    [Show full text]
  • Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia : Population, Spatial Distribution and Socio-Economic Condition
    Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia : Population, Spatial Distribution and Socio-Economic Condition Tarmiji Masron*, Fujimaki Masami**, Norhasimah Ismail*** Abstract Orang Asli or indigenous peoples are peoples with unique languages, knowledge systems and beliefs. Indigenous peoples often have much in common with other neglected segments of societies, such as lack of political representation and participation, economic marginalization and poverty, lack of access to social services and discrimination. Besides that, there is population problem in the community and among them often leads to the neglect of their health and of essential needs like proper clothing and nutritious foods for the whole family. In Peninsular Malaysia, Orang Asli is separated into three main tribal groups includes Semang (Negrito), Senoi and Proto Malay (Aboriginal Malay) and consists of 19 ethnic. This study was an attempt to study and mapped the spatial distribution of the Orang Asli where two kind of data collection were applied; primary data obtained from the Department of Statistics of Malaysia, consist of Orang Asli population data for each states in Peninsular between 1947 and 2010; and secondary data collection based on the literature review or previous study for any information of Orang Asli from history, distribution, issues and problems and others which significant to the study. The result showed that overall, populations of Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia increasing between 1947 and 2010 which the highest growth rate recorded in 1991 (32.96%) while the lowest in 1957 (16.01%). Between 1947 and 2010, highest Orang Asli population was recorded in Pahang and Perak while the lowest in Pulau Pinang and Perlis.
    [Show full text]
  • The Making of Race in Colonial Malaya: Political Economy and Racial Ideology
    The Making of Race in Colonial Malaya: Political Economy and Racial Ideology Charles Hirschman Comell University The conventional interpretation of the "race problem" in Penin- sular Malaysia (Malaya) is founded upon the supposedly inevitable frictions between ethnic communities with sharply divergent cul- tural traditions. In this view, assimilation between the indigenous Malay population and the descendants of immigrants from China and India was always a remote possibility. In this paper argue that modern "race relations" in Peninsular Malaysia, in the sense of impenetrable group boundaries, were a byproduct of British colonialism of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Prior to 1850, inter-ethnic relations among Asian populations were marked by cultural stereotypes and occasional hostility, but there were also possibilities for inter-ethnic alliances and acculturation. Direct colonial rule brought European racial theory and con- structed a social and economic order structured by "race." A re- view of the writing of observers of colonial society provides a crude test of this hypothesis.* "The idea of race is a situational imper- ative; if it is not there to begin with, it tends to develop in a plantation society because it is a useful, maybe even necessary, prin- ciple of control. In Virginia, the planta- tion took two peoples originally differ- entiated as Christian and heathen, and before the first century was over it had made two races." -Thompson, 1975:117 Ethnic inequality and conflict appear to be widespread, if not ubiq- uitous phenomena in plural societies around the globe (Heisler, 1977; Horowitz, 1985; van den Berghe, 1981). Ethnic frictions and antagonism are recurrent problems in developing societies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America as well as in the industrialized countries of Europe and North A revised version of a paper presented at the Malaysia Society Colloquium on "Malaysian Social and Economic History" at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, June 8-10, 1985.
    [Show full text]